Your Risk Management Committee has updated the Addendum to Authorized Buy & Sell Agreement (ABS). The new form correlates with the Residential Buy and Sell Agreement that was updated in 2020. You can now begin using the updated ABS form in printed carbon copies or in all e-Form options offered by GKAR, dotloop and zipForms.  

It’s official; the Jackson Area Association of REALTORS^® (JAAR) will be joining MichRIC^® August 2^nd, 2021. JAAR will be joining MichRIC^® in the flexmls system with their designated Area of JX. The addition of JAAR listings in the MLS will make it even easier for you and your clients to search for available listings in much of southwest Michigan.  

Your MLS Committee has been asked to clarify advertising on listings that have not yet been entered into the MLS. GKAR MLS Rules and Regulations states a listing must be placed in the MLS within one business day of public marketing. Properties may not be advertised any more than one business day before it is made active in the MLS. Advertising of a property with or without the address is considered public marketing.

Did you know GKAR has policy prohibiting you from entering photos into the MLS from other brokers’ listings unless permission has been obtained? Whether it be another broker or a professional photographer, it is always best practice to obtain written permission to use a photo on the MLS that you have not taken yourself. Aside from an MLS violation, it could be a copyright infringement to use a photo that is not legally yours.

You may have noticed recently, that photos added to the MLS, are no longer watermarked with the MichRIC® name. Over the course of several months the MichRIC® watermark will be removed from all photos in the MLS. These watermarks were previously added by default, when a user uploaded a photo to an MLS listing.

Your Risk Management Committee has updated the Sellers Counteroffer (SCO) to correlate with the updated Residential Buy and Sell Agreement. You can now begin using the updated SCO form in all e-Form options offered by GKAR, dotloop and zipForms. Printed carbon copies will be available to purchase in coming weeks.

Caring for SentriLock lockboxes is the best way to keep them in tip top shape for many years to come. As the boxes move from property to property, there are ways you can keep them in the best working order. Here are four best practices.

Your MLS Committee updated the recently adopted Virtual Alteration policy in the GKAR MLS Rules and        Regulations. The previous policy restricted virtual fires in fireplaces on MLS photos. The updated policy now    allows for virtual fires to be edited into working fireplaces.  

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